{"id":2348,"date":"2015-12-03T08:10:23","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T15:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2348"},"modified":"2019-03-16T14:00:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T20:00:15","slug":"mount-massive-colorado-8-24-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2348","title":{"rendered":"Mount Massive, Colorado (8-24-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 8-23-15, Lupe climbed Mount Elbert<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, the highest peak in Colorado, second highest peak in the 48 contiguous United States,\u00a0and quite possibly the highest mountain she will ever climb.\u00a0 What could she possibly do for an encore the next day?\u00a0 Why, climb the second highest peak in Colorado, of course!<\/p>\n

Mount Massive<\/a> (14,421 ft.)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is conveniently located just 5 miles NNW of Mount Elbert<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(14,433 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Only 12 feet lower than Mount Elbert, Mount Massive is\u00a0the third highest peak in the 48 contiguous United States.\u00a0 So on 8-24-15, Day 16 of her Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation, Lupe set out from the Mount Massive trailhead near Halfmoon Creek at 9:32 AM (57\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

It was another beautiful day.\u00a0 It was also Monday.\u00a0 The weekend crowds had disappeared.\u00a0 SPHP had been able to park the G6 in the\u00a0TH parking lot.\u00a0 Only a few other\u00a0vehicles were there.\u00a0 Although the elevation gain would be very similar,\u00a0only\u00a0slightly less than\u00a0she had gained climbing Mount\u00a0Elbert the day before, climbing Mount Massive was going to be a\u00a0more peaceful\u00a0experience.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0trailhead was actually a TH on the Colorado Trail.\u00a0 The Colorado Trail climbed fairly steeply at first, and then leveled out with both up and down sections.\u00a0 Lupe followed the Colorado Trail for about 3 miles.\u00a0 It wound its way around some, but generally towards the N.\u00a0 After 3 miles on the Colorado Trail, Lupe reached the Mount Massive Trail No. 1487.\u00a0 Mount Massive Trail No. 1487\u00a0heads W for about 2.5 miles to reach a ridgeline S of the summit.<\/p>\n

Going up Mount Massive, there were similarities with Lupe’s climb\u00a0up Mount Elbert the previous day.\u00a0 The\u00a0Colorado Trail and the first part of the Mount Massive Trail were all in the forest.\u00a0 There weren’t any views until Lupe reached tree line along the Mount Massive Trail.\u00a0\u00a0Once on the Mount Massive Trail, it was a steady climb all the way up the mountain.\u00a0 The steepest, hardest parts of the climb were near the top.<\/p>\n

Lupe didn’t meet many people on the trail at first, but this time it wasn’t\u00a0due to a late start.\u00a0 There\u00a0just weren’t that many people on the mountain.\u00a0\u00a0After a while, Lupe did meet some\u00a0people and a few dogs\u00a0who were coming down the mountain, as she climbed up,\u00a0but far fewer than the day before.<\/p>\n

Once again, the views started at tree line.\u00a0 There were far more bushes above tree line than on Mount Elbert.\u00a0 Lupe likes bushes.\u00a0 She sought their shade whenever SPHP had to stop to rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe near tree line along Mount Massive Trail No. 1487.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Mt.<\/a>\"Lupe<\/a>Most of Trail No. 1487 seemed less steep than Trail No. 1184 up Mount Elbert.\u00a0 It did get steep as it approached the ridgeline leading to the summit.\u00a0 As Lupe approached the ridgeline, there were a couple of mountain goats up ahead.\u00a0 People and a dog were on their way down, so the goats had to make a decision on which way to go.\u00a0 They disappeared around the W side of the ridge.<\/p>\n

\"Mount<\/a>
Mount Massive was, well, massive! There was huge amount of open ground above tree line.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The high point seen here is a false summit. Lupe would soon be scrambling around up on that ridge, though.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The two mountain goats shortly before they realized they had visitors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mount Massive features 5 high points along a huge ridge that extends NW\/SE.\u00a0 All of these high points are over 14,100 feet.\u00a0 From SE to NW these high points are:\u00a0 (1) Mount Massive – Southeast Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(14,132 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, (2) Mount Massive<\/a><\/strong><\/span> (14,421 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> (the true summit), (3) Mount Massive – Green Peak<\/a> (14,280 ft.)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, (4) Mount Massive – Northwest Peak<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(14,320 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, and (5) Mount Massive – Far Northwest Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(14,169 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Trail No. 1487 reaches the top of the ridgeline between Mount Massive – Southeast Peak and the true summit.\u00a0 When Lupe reached the ridgeline, she followed the trail NW toward the true summit.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SE towards Mount Massive – Southeast Peak. This photo shows the saddle where Trail No. 1487 gains the ridgeline from the E (left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NNW along the ridgeline\u00a0leading to the true summit.\u00a0 The true summit isn’t in view yet in this photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trail to the top stayed mostly along the NE side of the mountain a bit below the ridgeline\u00a0until quite close to the summit.\u00a0\u00a0There were some pretty huge drops to the SW on the other side of the ridge.\u00a0\u00a0Some scrambling was required along the way.\u00a0 Nothing serious, but this last leg up Mount Massive was certainly more challenging than the easy stroll along\u00a0a ridge Mount Elbert had been.\u00a0 It was pretty fun!\u00a0 Lupe was happy climbing among the rocks.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe having fun along the trail to the summit. A few people were on their way down as Lupe was heading up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe up on the ridgeline. The summit of Mount Massive is now in view. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Success!<\/a>
Success! Lupe atop the true summit of Mount Massive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few people had been coming down as Lupe worked her way up, but by the time Lupe reached the ridgeline and final approach to the true summit, Lupe and SPHP were alone.\u00a0 Once again the weather was wonderful.\u00a0 There wasn’t even a breeze.\u00a0 The views all around were gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking S back along the ridgeline from the summit. Mount Elbert is in the shadow of a cloud at L Center. La Plata Peak<\/a> (14,336 ft.)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is seen just R of Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"What<\/a>
What a view! Mt. Oklahoma<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(13,845 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> rises above\u00a0the North Halfmoon Lakes. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking N now from the true summit at the ridge that heads NW towards Mount Massive – Green Peak. A trail is visible along the ridgeline, but Lupe didn’t go that far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Mount Elbert from Mount Massive. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Deer<\/a>
Deer Mountain<\/a><\/strong><\/span> (13,761 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 (Center) and Mt. Oklahoma<\/a><\/span> (13,845 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (R). This photo shows a little better view of the steep drop down to the WSW. Both of the upper basins of North Halfmoon Creek are in view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount<\/a>
Mount Elbert (L) and La Plata Peak (Center). Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NW now towards Mount Massive – Green Peak, Northwest Peak and Far Northwest Peak.\u00a0 All three are lined up on the R side of this photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NE towards Turquoise Lake and Leadville, CO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is possible to make a trek known as the “Tour de Massive” by visiting all five of the high points along the huge Mount Massive ridge.\u00a0 SPHP had been thinking Lupe could do the Tour de Massive.\u00a0 She could have, too, but the reality up on the summit of Mount Massive was that SPHP could not.\u00a0 Not after climbing up Mount Elbert the previous day.\u00a0 The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.<\/p>\n

A look at the high points (Green, Northwest and Far Northwest) off to the NW revealed that it might well involve\u00a0considerably more than an easy stroll up and down along a ridgeline to get over to those peaks.\u00a0\u00a0Climbing the\u00a0Southeast Peak, on the other hand,\u00a0was clearly pretty easy, but in the end, SPHP was content to just call it a day – another wonderful day spent with Lupe.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP\u00a0lingered quite some time up on Mount Massive.\u00a0 No one else appeared.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP had Mount Massive entirely to themselves.\u00a0 It was a grand time.\u00a0 SPHP and Lupe both enjoyed the tremendous views.\u00a0 Lupe also found a snowbank to frolic on.<\/p>\n

\"Delightful<\/a>
Delightful snow on Mt. Massive made a great American Dingo playground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>Going up to the summit along the ridgeline had been really fun.\u00a0 Going back down was a good time, too.\u00a0 Lupe scrambled quickly among the rocks.\u00a0 SPHP scrambled slowly.\u00a0 The route was rough enough to be interesting and engaging, without being difficult.\u00a0 The views, of course, remained simply splendid.<\/p>\n

\"La<\/a>
La Plata Peak (Center). Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mt.<\/a>
Mount\u00a0Elbert (L of Center) and La Plata Peak (R of Center).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Mt. Elbert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount<\/a>
Mount Massive – Southeast Peak (L) and Mount Elbert (R).\u00a0 The saddle between Mount Massive – Southeast Peak and Mount Massive is the low point on the ridgeline below.\u00a0 Trail No. 1487 can be seen heading down the mountain to the E (L).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once below the ridgeline, and heading E on Mount Massive Trail No. 1487, the long trek back to the G6 began in earnest.\u00a0 Lupe had lots of wide open territory to explore.\u00a0 She had a wonderful time.\u00a0 A little later on, the light faded in the forest while Lupe followed the Colorado Trail.\u00a0\u00a0Between the trees, the light of\u00a0a huge bonfire could be seen to the E of the trail.<\/p>\n

Lupe met a couple of guys intending on camping on Mount Massive up above tree line.\u00a0 They were from Florida.\u00a0 One of them had seen Lupe on the trail, and thought she was a wolf!\u00a0 (Quite a few people have said she resembles a fox before, but never a wolf!)\u00a0 They were carrying sleeping bags, but seemed to have no backpacks or other gear.\u00a0 SPHP wondered if they weren’t heading for a bit of a shock.\u00a0 It was conceivable that a night above tree line (around 12,000 feet)\u00a0on Mount Massive, even in August, might not be much like camping out on a Florida beach.<\/p>\n

Lupe met no one else the entire way back.\u00a0 At 8:45 PM (52\u00b0F), Lupe reached the G6.\u00a0\u00a0For Lupe and SPHP, it had been\u00a0a fabulous day together on Mount Massive.\u00a0 Fortunately for the Floridians, it looked like it\u00a0was going to be a fabulous\u00a0night, too.<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2015 Wyoming, Colorado & Utah Adventure Index<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 8-23-15, Lupe climbed Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, second highest peak in the 48 contiguous United States,\u00a0and quite possibly the highest mountain she will ever climb.\u00a0 What could she possibly do for an encore the next day?\u00a0 Why, climb the second highest peak in Colorado, of course! Mount Massive (14,421 ft.)\u00a0is conveniently … Continue reading Mount Massive, Colorado (8-24-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[274],"tags":[105,106,296,26,104,344,346,347],"class_list":["post-2348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2015-wyoming-colorado-utah","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-colorado","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-lupe","tag-mount-elbert","tag-mount-massive","tag-mt-massive-trail-no-1487"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/P1060897.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2348"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20745,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348\/revisions\/20745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}